Sorrow, disbelief in wake of drowning

A Taunton family is grieving after their 14-month-old son drowned in an above-ground swimming pool Thursday morning.

Charles Winokoor, Staff Writer

A Taunton family is grieving after their 14-month-old son drowned in an above-ground swimming pool Thursday morning.

Jacob Edenberg-Carye, son of Julie Carye Krajewski and Jeremy Edenberg, was pronounced dead after being taken to Morton Hospital and Medical Center, authorities said.
The 911 emergency call first came into the fire department from a neighbor’s house, a fire department employee said, and the police department was then notified at 7:40 a.m., according to a police report.

Police Chief Raymond O’Berg said the tragic accident at 35 Kilmer Ave. appears to have occurred when the toddler walked out of the kitchen while his mother was preparing breakfast for her children.

He wandered onto a wooden walkway leading to the pool and was able to gain access to the water because a door separating the pool from the walkway to the house was apparently not secured, O’Berg said.

Bristol County District Attorney spokesman Gregg Miliote, said the case is under investigation by Taunton Police detectives and state police investigators assigned to the DA’s office.

The mother and father of the child were described by those who knew them as a hard-working couple and excellent parents.

“They’re a wonderful family,” a subdued Steve Emond said, as he sat on the front steps of his Kilmer Avenue house, located directly across the street from the Edenberg/Krajewski residence.

Emond, 21, said the couple moved in about five years ago. He called Krajewski “the model of a perfect mother.”

His girlfriend Meghan Sheldon, 19, described Krajewski as a “very good person.”
Emond said Krajewski, in particular, has always been a hands-on sort — both in terms of being an attentive parent and for her enthusiasm in performing manual labor.

He said Krajewski, who works part-time as an independent landscaper, is dedicated to grooming her family’s lawn and garden. She also built by herself the backyard deck that connects the pool to the house, he added.

After being told that Krajewski’s baby had died, Sheldon said, “It shouldn’t happen to a good person like that.”
Emond and Sheldon said they themselves have a 1-year-old daughter who sometimes plays in a small, plastic wading pool in their backyard.

Jacob was reportedly the couple’s first and only biological child together. Acquaintances and neighbors of the couple said Krajewski and Edenberg have four other young children, all of whom are from Krajewski’s former marriage.

Besides raising a large family Krajewski, since 2005, has worked part time as a hair stylist at Michael’s hair salon on County Street.

Owner Michael Anthony Janicke said he learned of the drowning from staff members who called him at home in the morning.
Janicke said Krajewski (who he said is 35) has done landscaping work at his house, including planting trees and cutting grass. The last time she worked there, he said, he saw her carrying Jacob in a baby backpack.

“She’s a great, great mother,” Janicke said. “Of all people for it to happen to, that makes it even more devastating.”
He said Krajewski had told him that her husband works construction for Easton Pool & Spa in Easton.

Janicke also said he is taking $1 from every transaction and dedicating it to a fund to help Krajewski and Edenberg defray the cost of their son’s funeral.
The fact that a baby like Jacob was able to momentarily slip away from his mother’s care, he said, illustrates how precarious child-raising can be.
“If it could happen to her it could happen to anybody,” Janicke said.

cwinokoor@tauntongazette.com

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